Draw-bar for freight-cars



C. BARRETT. Draw-Bar for Freight-Oars.

Patent ed Mar. 2,1880.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIGE.

CHARLES BARRETT, or SOMERVILLE, MASSAoHUSETTS.

DRAW- BAR FOR FREIGHT-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 224,985, dated March 2, 1880.

Application filed November 28, 1879.

beneath the body of the car and in guides attached to the latter. For this reason shocks or thrusts upon the draw-bar must be met and resisted by the car-body, which is illy adapted to sustain them. A

In my present invention I dispose the drawbars in guides in the upper part of the truck, and make these guides of long timbers, extending the entire length of the truck, with solid bunters at each end to receive the ends of the car-body, the longitudinal timbers constituting a perch to withstand severe thrusts and blows in cases of collisions or other accidents, and protect the car-body from their effects. 3

' The drawings accompanying this specification represent, in Figure 1, a perspective view, and in Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section, of a. railway freight-car truck embodying my impro\-'ements.

In such drawings, A represents the truck of a railway freight-car as composed of longi tudinal side beams or sills, B B, and transverse end beams or sills, G O, with intermediate cross ties D D, the wheels of the truck, which are four in number, being shown at E E, and the two axles at F F, the latter being situated at opposite ends of the truck and near the extremities, to obtain as long a wheelbase as possible, and the boxes or hangers which support the axle-journals being shown at G Gas secured to the side sills of the truck.

The above truck extends the entire length of the car-body,.and the requisite end play of the axles to enable the truck to adapt itself to curves in the track is obtained by the journals of such axles being elongated between the boxes.

The central longitudinal perch before alluded to is shown at H in the drawings as composed of two timbers, I I, extending the entire length of the truck, and being jointed or united to the end timbers or sills and crossties of such truck in as secure a manner as possible, in order that thrusts or strains upon the ends of the perch shall be distributed generally throughout the truck and result in little injury to the latter.

The draw-bars are shown at JJas disposed within each end of the perch and playing through bunters K, applied one to each'extreine end of said perch, and against which the car-body abuts.

The perch constitutes a solid and firm resistance to any blows or concussions to which it may be subject in collisions or otherwise, and its constructionis such that it permits of safety-chains being employed to. connect the drawbars to its, sides, so that in the event of breakage of coupling-pins or keys the drawbar cannot be detached.

As the draw-bars are connected with the truck in lieu of the car-body and operate with the longitudinal .-perch,.-the draft upon the draw-bars is more equally distributed and ad- \"antageously applied than when applied to the car-body, as in the latter case the draft is exerted toseparate thecar body and truck.

I am aware thabcar-trucks have been provided (as in the patent of Griffith and Patterson, granted July 27,1879) with spring-piessed draft-rods extending from end .to end of the car, and having'sliding connection with couplings which are attached to draft-hooks and guided by frames like my perch, the bumpers being placed in a supplementary projecting frame, and having no relation to. the action of the draft-bar. I do not claim such construction. i

What I do claim is In combination with a truck-frame, a double perch, 1, extending from end to end thereof and rigidly connected thereto, the hunters K, attached to the ends of said perch, and the draft-bar J, provided with a spring between two interior cross-pieces of said perch, said draft-bar working through an aperture in said hunter, substantially as shown.

CHARLES BARRETT.

Witnesses:

H. E. LODGE, W. R. NUTTING. 

